Abdul El-Sayed Requests Haley Stevens Avoid Final Campaign Events

Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has requested that Representative Haley Stevens avoid all future campaign events in the final days of the election. The request follows a period of public conflict and sniping between the two former primary rivals, which campaign officials say is necessary to prevent distractions from the central issues of the race.

The tension escalated over an advertisement produced by Rebellion PAC that attributes high prices in Michigan to Israel and the war in Gaza. Stevens criticized the ad as antisemitic. While El-Sayed distanced himself from the advertisement, he refused to formally denounce it, suggesting Stevens "seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago."

The conflict is further complicated by Jason Turkish, Stevens' fiancé and a Jewish Democrat, who intends to vote for Republican Mike Rogers. Turkish claims El-Sayed's rhetoric regarding genocide in Gaza leads to death threats against the Jewish community. El-Sayed, who faced over $30 million in spending against him from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee during the primary, maintains a focus on health care and affordability.

Some Democrats have expressed concern that this fragmentation of the coalition could imperil the party's hold on the pivotal Senate seat. The race against Rogers is currently rated as a toss-up and could influence control of the U.S. Senate.